Peapod Recordings has released a new compilation, Winter 2009-an overview of the label’s 2008 releases and a preview of what’s to come in 2009.
The 15-song collection is a solid assemblage of some of Maine’s most eclectic and interesting musicians. Ron Harrity’s growing Portland label boasts an impressive roster that covers a range of sounds and styles.
The compilation opens beautifully with “What Are We Gonna Do Now?” by Chriss Sutherland, a founding member of Cerberus Shoal and Fire on Fire who will release his second solo album, “Worried Love,” in April.
The song is a stunning foray into an unlikely pop form. Sutherland sings passionately over a straightforward structure and lush classic rock instrumentation to create a timeless and beautiful number.
The second track is one of the compilation’s most rambunctious, Huak’s “Stats and Demographics” from the forthcoming “Modicum” EP, which was reviewed in last week’s Free Press. It is a rigid post-punk clamor featuring sharp, dueling guitars, frantic drums and an anxious set of lyrics concerning the yearly political polling cycle.
Cougars Kill Cobras’ seething “Death Machine,” a terse, dark rocker that builds to a cataclysmic, unnerving close, compliments Huak’s contribution. The two bands make up the raging and chaotic portion of Peapod’s lineup.
Some of Winter ’09’s sweetest and catchiest spots are from the alt-country outfits Harpswell Sound and its newer incarnation, Honey Clouds, both of which feature singer-guitarists Trey Hughes and Peapod’s Harrity. Hughes-who also appears on the compilation in a new band called R2T2-sings with a droning, untroubled voice that often receives comparisons to Stephen Malkmus. To me, the voice of the Halo Benders’ Calvin Johnson comes to mind first, but either way, it suits the songs perfectly.
The Brooklyn-based band Company’s “Settle Down” shares similar alt-country aesthetics as Honey Clouds and Harpswell Sound. The Guthrie-esque singer recalls: “I crossed famous rivers/I jumped in and I swam/coiled up just like a snake/I struck, then I ran/but I think I would like to settle down.”
“Yardcat” by the Baltimore band Hearts by Darts is a strong indie pop track that summons the voice of Yo La Tengo’s Georgia Hubley. The band recorded their new album here in Portland last summer.
The compilation remains strong at its quieter spots: Dan Blakeslee, Brown Bird, Wesley Hartley and cerf-volantes provide quick folk-pop gems that would hold up next to anything else of the sort coming out around the country these days.
Over the past few years, Portland’s music scene has grown and thrived in numerous directions. With every great new band and release, it seems that the scene is on the brink of attracting a wave of national attention. Whether or not that will ever happen is a great, big unknown. But as long as there are labels like Peapod supporting the music, its creators and its fans, I can’t see what there is to complain about.
Download Peapod Recordings Winter 2009 Compilation for free at: www.peapodrecordings.com